West Ham United’s controversial striker Marko Arnautovic has been dominating the headlines this month due to his transfer saga with Chinese club Shanghai SIPG.
Sky Sports had reported that the Austrian international held talks with the Chinese outfit and his brother also revealed that Arnautovic is keen to move.
The Hammers did, however, reject a bid of £35m from Shanghai earlier this month, but might return for him soon.
Arnautovic was dropped out of West Ham United’s squad during their 2-0 loss against Bournemouth on Saturday, which further fuelled the speculation. His future at the London Stadium still hangs in the balance.
With the January transfer window far from being over, Manuel Pellegrini has placed Nice’s controversial centre-forward Mario Balotelli on his radar as a contingency plan to replace Arnautovic if the latter leaves this month.
Mario Balotelli: Profile
Balotelli started his senior career with Lumezzane and then went on to ply his trade for some of the big clubs in Europe, such as Inter Milan, Manchester City, Liverpool and AC Milan. Since the summer of 2016, he has been on the books of Ligue 1 side Nice.
The Italian striker was in impressive form last season, scoring 25 goals in 36 games. However, he has struggled to make an impact this season as he has failed to find the back of the net in 10 Ligue 1 appearances this term.
Balotelli has won plenty of accolades throughout his career, including the 2009-10 Champions League silverware with Inter and 2011-12 Premier League title with the Cityzens and he has plenty of experience under his belt.
Will he be a good signing?
While their star striker Arnautovic is already causing a lot of trouble, Andy Carroll’s contract is due to expire at the end of the season. Moreover, Javier Hernandez has been linked with a move to La Liga club Valencia.
Therefore, the Irons do need to get hold of a striker at any cost this month, especially if Arnautovic leaves. Pellegrini’s side has been plagued by injuries but the Argentine has worked hard to keep his side in contention for a finish inside the top half of the table.
All the hard work by him and his side would be undone if they lack the cutting edge up top during the business end of the season. Balotelli is a physically strong player with sharp shooting skills. He holds the ball well in the final third and his prior experience of Premier League should come handy.
